Cut off for bandwidth I didn't use

T

Turtle

Expert Member
Joined
May 2, 2004
Messages
1,882
Reaction score
398
Location
KZN
Looking at the usage graphs on Telkom's site this morning, I noticed a huge, impossible usage spike (roughly 50/50 upload/download) of over 1GB that I didn't use for Saturday. I carefully monitor my own usage, and I used under 40MB that day. I immediately called Telkom when I saw it, and they suggested I e-mail [email protected] and they will "investigate". So I e-mailed them, but they have seemingly ignored my e-mail, because no response, and now I've been cut off!

The general advice I've seen here seems to be to change your password now and then, because apparently for some years now user IDs and passwords have been 'leaking'. But I did change my password recently. Which implies that there is in fact absolutely nothing a customer can actually do to prevent this from happening. Which makes Telkom ADSL useless. Even worse, imagine if Telkom switch to a per-GB billing system, as they say are going to ... you will just keep paying for bandwidth you don't use! What a con/fraud/scam. I will be warning everyone I know now not to get Telkom ADSL.

I need this connection for my business. This is absolutely useless. Although I suspect that Telkom deliberately allow this to happen, so that anyone who needs a connection (e.g. for business) is forced to pay out loads of money for a leased line. Maybe it's time to try iBurst rather ... even if the speed is slower, I don't care, it's far more important for my business that I not just get randomly cut off every time Telkom leaks my password.
 
hrm did they say the traffic was from a different line or your own ? Check with Telkom Internet, sometimes you pc will update itself etc besides spyware etc. Saturday the net was slow due to problems with international link, it would not of affected the bandwidth used however if you use something that pushes out alot of packets to make up for lost packets it might explain, hrm 1GB is alot though.
 
krycor said:
hrm did they say the traffic was from a different line or your own ? Check with Telkom Internet, sometimes you pc will update itself etc besides spyware etc.
Click to expand...
Thanks, but as I explained, I carefully monitor my Internet usage: All my anti-spyware, antivirus and Windows updates are 'forced' through my proxy, which logs all my usage. All computers on my network are firewalled and totally blocked, except for those very specific services/ports on specific computers that need to be let through. I 'run a tight ship' here, and I know and understand networks.

The most obvious evidence though that this is not anything on my network downloading updates or anything is that Saturday's abuse upload/download ratio is nearly 1:1 --- 490MB uploaded to 479MB downloaded (511MB minus my 32MB logged usage). That type of usage pattern generally points to one specific thing: filesharing. (My normal usage patterns have about a 7:1 download/upload ratio.)

I know you mean well trying to help me troubleshoot to see if the problem might be on my side, but trust me, I understand what I'm doing here, and that GB of usage did NOT come from my network.
 
Hey Turtle, read your private message, maybe I can help.
 
Turtle said:
The most obvious evidence though that this is not anything on my network downloading updates or anything is that Saturday's abuse upload/download ratio is nearly 1:1 --- 490MB uploaded to 479MB downloaded (511MB minus my 32MB logged usage). That type of usage pattern generally points to one specific thing: filesharing.
Click to expand...

Last time I saw that pattern on a Network it was a spammer using the MS Exchange Server as an open relay. Exchange is on the outside of the ISA/Firewall, IIRC and so will not show as LAN traffic.

If you use Small Business Server it may be worth making sure you do not have an open relay.

Cheers
Chris

p.s. I have also been a victim of stolen BW so I feel your pain, and abuse@telkom never botherd to respond.
 
Turtle said:
Even worse, imagine if Telkom switch to a per-GB billing system, as they say are going to ... you will just keep paying for bandwidth you don't use! What a con/fraud/scam.
Click to expand...

This is a very valid point - one which I had not yet thought of. It's one thing having your bandwidth stolen, but on the pay per GB system, having to pay for bandwidth used by someone who has stolen from you is going to hit hard.

I don't remember if bandwidth theft was brought up at the ICASA hearings, but I think Telkom's lack of assistance should have been. They need to impliment a way to prevent their staff having access to our passwords. And they need to have a formal channel to assist customers who have had their bandwidth stolen. Telkom are probably the only ISP in the world who tells the customer to go to the police for stolen bandwidth. This is a serious problem and Telkom need to provide a solution.

It's happened to me as well - it wasn't fun being capped in the middle of the month. And in those days you couldn't just buy another 3GB's.
 
Lets see - because of "crime", you have been cut off.
Is there neglegence on teklom's side ?
YES - Every body in IT knows that nobody, and I mean nobody gets to see the user's password.
If a password is not secure, then the system is not secure.
If the system is not secure, you cannot be held liable for what happens on the system.
Teklom have cut you off, but you cannot be held liable because the system is insecure, so they [teklom] are in breach.

Make sure you loose a massive multi-billion rand opportunity because of the cut-off and find a gooooood lawyer who will do it commision based.

Opportunity knocks...
 
One of the benefits of being with Web Africa who does their own authentication as far less eyeballs has access to my password.
 
the amount of eyeballs dont worry me, its that some owners of some eyeballs are rat bastids, and unfortunately it seems all those eyeballs belong to people who work for telkom. nice, per GB billing will really make a person poor...
 
I found it quite scary that i can just phone telkom and ask them for my email password, and all they ask for is my username. No authentication required. Done this twice. Not sure if the same is true for my isp password.
 
> Not sure if the same is true for my isp password.

Yep .. its true.. i've done it once. I called from my number (in case you think maybe they only give the detail out if you call from the account tel. number) for a friend who lost all his emails. I just tell the person my friend's name and telephone number and she told me his username and password. How about that for good service ?

Spinz
 
Oh great :)

Now the whole country will be calling telkom, give a username telkomdsl<insert random number>@dsl512.telkomsa.net, and get free DSL access -g-

Damm but Telkom is just stoooooopid
 
Turtle all I can say is good luck!

I did my usual of becoming a pain in the rear end when this happened to me (2.8 gigs in 24 hours while I was not at home) Telkom gave me details of a different port using my account details. I laid a charge at the local police station, and a month later got a subpoena issued for Telkom to release the details of the person in question so that the police could take it further. That was about 2 months ago now I think

Never heard from anyone again and no body can tell me what is going on :(
 
The other day i phoned telkom to get an customors user name and password.

Me: Hi, i am a tech. at a client's house and would like to retrieve his username and password.

Telkom: Can u plz give me his user name......
(um duh, did'nt i just say i want the username and password)

Me: The client doenst know his username, it's some thing like @#$@

Telkom: mm Lets' see. Is it @#$$!

Me: Ya that's the one

Telkom: Here is your username and password.........



I mean common, what about the client's name, or street address or some thing.... is this how safe the telkoms user's passwords is???
 
Kalvaer said:
Telkom gave me details of a different port using my account details. I laid a charge at the local police station, and a month later got a subpoena issued for Telkom to release the details of the person in question so that the police could take it further.:(
Click to expand...
Seems to me customers should be laying charges against Telkom. From a pure "customer" viewpoint, it's really very simple: I'm paying money to Telkom for a service, but they have cut off my service as a result of their own screw-up. This would not be tolerated and would be considered fraud in any other industry. (It's not the same as if someone stole e.g. my cellphone ... it's my responsibility to look after my cellphone, but it cannot possibly be the customer's responsibility to make sure Telkom's systems are secure and don't leak passwords!) If I was wealthier I'd be seeing a lawyer about laying charges against Telkom, but alas I can't afford that. This specious nonsense of being told to lay a charge at the police station against the 'other party' is just to cloud the issue and distract customers from realising that this is Telkom's fault - they are leading us by our noses around in circles. It is Telkom that gives your password out .. they are the criminals.

So far all Telkom have done is give me a reference number, then do absolutely nothing. So I'm still capped, of course. (I have in the meantime signed up with Nukecap, which I must say I'm pretty happy with so far ... but really I shouldn't have to pay extra for 3rd-party services in order to get the basic ADSL service that I already paid Telkom for!)
 
Last edited:
Another Bandwidth theft mystery. Can someone advise this poor guy

I AM ASKING THIS TELKOM MYSTERY PREVAILED FOR ONE MONTH !

I personally dont know how to explain in technical terms
as my IT friend and highly qualified partner( he runs networks with over 200 PC
over Africa for corporations and specialist is not with me now !

He has put MUCH EFFORT to try to catch the culprit or exact reason without
success.

We had a line problem with our ADSL ( the 512 service)
we use our OWN ROUTER NETGEAR an excellent product
since the TELKOM MEN came and tested etc.. they went
to the box ( exchange ) and did what ever they had to do and said
there was NOTHING WRONG than came back and tested the system
within the house CHECKING their personal e-maile etc...
They naturally requested information on account etc..

SINCE THEN we are plaiged by INVISBLE FORECES
dowloading up to 6 GB from OUR ACCOUNT within 2-3 days
DORNFONTEIN and ROZEBANK ( 2 different ESR ) same time


THIS WAS NOT only being per account number but also
seems to be done on a physical level as IS and ISP
were very helpfull and gave us other accounts with NEW PASSWORDS

and the same went on at an average of 500 MB per day sometimes 1 GB
and the 3 GB cap was filled.

So it must have had to do something with a LINE as such or a connection
at TELKOM etc..

People were downlaoding up to 46 hrs PER DAY from OUR one account ONLY !!
even with new accoutns and passwords etc..

We have the printed prrof of that!

I tried to ask TELKOM to send someone THEY ASKED ME TO
e-mail my query to abuse at TELKOM etc.. no one came or moved or called!

From then on, we have to close down all our PC, Network box power and
router every night out of fear that it would start again at night ...as most of the
downloading was happening at night .

OUR WIRELESS is always off in the ROUTER unless we really want to use it
and we know our neigbhours who are NOT NET oriented people at all.
more the pensioner type without INTERNET

WE DO NOT HAVE any SKYPWARE etc.. our system is 100% CLEAN !!

Is there anyone else out there who has experienced the same problem?

Any help and advice is much apreciated or passing my mail on in YOUR NETWORK.

Thank you

Victor Stapelberg
www.soholink.co.za
 
Turtle said:
Looking at the usage graphs on Telkom's site this morning, I noticed a huge, impossible usage spike (roughly 50/50 upload/download) of .
Click to expand...

Read your private messages:p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X